Home Performance
by Glimare
Summary: One Shot: Dick comes home to the manor after saving his circus overseas. When he left, he didn't tell Bruce. What is he going to say? Response to Performance


**Disclaimer: ***sings* Something something something, a pocket full of rye, four and twenty teenagers baked into a pie. When the pie was opened, DC began to sing. Isn't that a fun ownership I wish I had to bring? yeah, my memory with certain nursery rhymes sucks. So I don't own anything.

Just a thought of what happened behind the scenes after hearing Wally tell Rob he wasn't really on an official mission from Batman in Performance. Figured the dates of the show are from Dec. 22nd to Dec. 24th. Added a few days to their mission to give them a good cover. This event either takes place late on the 24th or the 25th. Happy Christmas bats.

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**Home Performance**

Dick looked over to the bag holding the temporary costume he used at the circus. Dan Danger was a fun role to play, but now he was back to being just Dick Grayson, adoptive son to billionaire Bruce Wayne. The same Bruce Wayne he ignored calls from for the past week. Better known as the world's greatest detective, vengeance, the dark knight, Batman.

He was so in trouble.

It would have been worse if it weren't winter break, but he still ignored the man he owed his current life to everything. But he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, emotionally. Haly's Circus was being framed for a ring of thefts. Interpol was going after his family because of someone who traveled with them. If Pop Haly was implicated in these thefts, he'd have to close down the circus, and that was the last thing Dick wanted to happen. Plus a good man would go to jail. Probably a lot more than one.

Dick couldn't let that happen. Robin wouldn't. For a day or so he tried to convince Batman to do something about it, but he couldn't. Bruce Wayne was going to be tied up in meetings and audits until the end of the year. Plus there were hundreds of holiday spectacles he had to participate in if their secret identities were to remain secret. Plus bringing in any members of the League to help out was also out of the question. This was a personal matter and not everyone knew about Robin's past. Not to mention no supercriminals were implicated in these thefts, just a circus.

Batman's hands were tied.

All through his last day of school that year Dick worried over it. He thought it over repeatedly. Batman couldn't do anything this time, despite wanting to. Bruce had to stay in Gotham for a while and the League had no interest in the matter. None of it was about anyone high profile outside the crime fighting community. It would only be a favor to Robin if they did anything at all.

So he came up with his own plans. He conned his team members to go off the grid with him and save his circus. He didn't count on Roy joining them for this, but he didn't have any time or energy to keep him out too. Deliberately not telling Wally and Kal was bad enough. Skipping out on Bruce…

Well he knew the man wouldn't drag him home kicking and screaming. Once in the field, neither Bruce Wayne nor Batman could appear to unmask them. It'd put everyone at risk. Plus Bruce really was busy with everything else around Gotham. Dick Grayson wasn't required to be anywhere until after Christmas. He could disappear for a while, so he did.

And everything out there turned out for the better.

Bruce hadn't dragged them back either. In fact, none of the League did. It was as if the mission was sanctioned in the end. Course Robin had told Canary and Tornado they were going on a team building experience, but that was neither here nor there. Maybe those who knew the truth convinced the others to just let it happen. Or the others didn't care. Zatanna was visiting relatives that week anyway, and he really didn't want his best friend second guessing his objectivity. And Kal, well he had other work to do as well. Something about Atlantis. Either way, no one stopped them.

If they knew what the team had learned during this mission though, Bats probably would have sent them on it. Intergang, Parasite, a black hole in Geneva, this really was in their territory. Interpol helped tie up loose ends and that was the end of the matter. Robin had typed up the report and sent it to Batman when they were flying home.

Home, right where he was now. About to pay the piper.

Dick took a deep breath as he carried the bag to his room, dodging as many cameras and residents as he could. The residents were easy to avoid in compare to cameras, but sneaking past these people was something even he hadn't quite mastered. Somehow he had made it to his room without running into people, slipping in silently before leaning against the door.

What was he going to say when he finally saw Bruce again? I'm sorry for running away? Sorry for taking my friends on a personal mission? Pop Haly was in trouble and you wouldn't do anything so I had to do something? Hey look what we accomplished? No one got hurt this time? Look, I wanted to fly again? Every phrase sounded so stupid in his head. Saying sorry probably wouldn't make this better.

"See you finally decided to come home."

Dick jerked around to the voice, eyes instantly meeting the man he was dreading to face right then. Oh boy was he in trouble now. Bruce Wayne, dressed to the nines, lounged in the one high back chair in the room, his arms folded and face stony. The boy gulped back whatever was in this throat, trying desperately to figure out what to say. Instead he gave a reflexive sheepish smile.

"Um… I'm home?"

Bruce just kept staring at him, and not in a happy way. It wasn't one of his infamous glares either. It was a look reserved for Dick alone, one of quiet disappointment, worry and anger. Course to the rest of the world it looked like an ordinary blank face, but he knew better. It was enough to drive Dick's emotions wheeling, mostly with guilt and sorrow as apologies spilled out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry I took off okay? But I couldn't stand back and watch Interpol blame Pop Haly for all those thefts! I knew the circus couldn't be involved and I wasn't going to let them get blamed for something they didn't do! I know it was wrong to trick my team into going with me but I needed the help! How was I supposed to know right off the bat Parasite was behind all of it! If you'd known you would have sent us in! I did the best I could leading them and no one was hurt this time! And collateral damage was kept to a minimum! We went under false names and no one doubted it! Well Jack figured me out but he's safe 'cause—"

Bruce raised a hand to silence him. Instantly the teen did, stepping back a fraction to brace himself. Here it came.

"You should have called in."

Um… What?

"This wasn't a mission requiring radio silence," the man emphasized. "You accepted a call from Wally. I had some information that might have helped."

"Uhhh… really?" Dick was starting to feel stupid.

"Yes. Not to mention you worried Alfred. Why didn't you pick up?" His eyes were narrowing as he spoke. The boy looked to the floor guiltily, too ashamed now to speak. "You knew I couldn't go after you."

"I know," he answered lowly. "But I didn't want you to be disappointed in me. Or get the others in trouble. I just…"

_I couldn't face you,_ was left hanging unspoken between them. One thing Dick never wanted to do was betray Bruce's trust, and he felt like he had. Going behind his back, using Batman's name to get his friends to help him, keeping the League out of it even when he figured it out, it all felt like a betrayal to the man he owed everything to. He really was stuck between helping the family he had as a child and the one that made him a hero. He knew he did the right thing in the end, he just didn't want to sacrifice what he had to do it.

Suddenly Bruce's strong hand landed on Dick's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. Dick looked into his mentor's eyes, a small part of him wondering when he came within arm's distance. The man leaned over to get on eye level with him, understanding in his eyes.

"I'm not angry Dick," he said slowly. "When I explained I couldn't do anything to help Jack Haly, I knew you would do something about it. It was a relief to hear you took the others with you. And with Roy there, I knew you would be alright. I just wanted you to pick up the phone once in a while to confirm you're still alive. Having to rely on a tracer isn't how I imagine a relationship should be."

Dick looked down, smirking sadly. Some relief filled him as he listened. So Bruce wasn't mad. He almost sounded… proud. "Sorry about that. I'll remember to call next time."

"You better." Bruce returned to his full height, a slight smirk on his face. "Now there's a charity Christmas concert and dinner tonight. After that, Alfred has something for you to do."

The boy blinked innocently. "What?"

"I think he said something about the silver needing polishing. I did say you worried him. And no amount of reassurances is going to make this one alright by him." Internally the kid groaned. He may have been off the hook with Bruce, but Alfred had his own ways. Maybe he should have worried more about what the butler would say than his father figure.

END

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A/N: thought that'd be a good place to end it. Really, if Batman didn't even sanction this mission a little, do you think they'd get a way with it? Ended well for everyone. But the circus letting five teens in without any parental supervision, that's what got me. Haly knew who Dick was from the beginning. Hence why he covered for them. In the comics, Haly even figured Dick was Robin, so of course he let those five on the train.

Rambling. Anyway, hope you liked Bruce's opinion and actions on this. Can't wait to see the season finally coming up. ^^V


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